Will my second child be autistic too?

Q:My son is autistic. Will my second child be autistic too? How can we detect during pregnancy that the child will be autistic?

A:Autism is a symptom/sign which can be due to many causes. The risk of recurrence depends upon the cause. If no cause is found then the risk of recurrence is about 7%, if the affected child is a male. There is no genetic test available for autism. But there are tests for some of the disorders which cause autism. Consult a geneticist in person.